Why haven't you added my film to the database?

We receive nearly two thousand new title submissions per week
and our title managers have to examine each one to determine whether or not it is eligible for inclusion. New titles are processed in priority order based on a number of factors, one being the quantity of data provided with the new title submission. The more information which is supplied for the title, the easier and faster it is for us to process, verify and add it. Submissions from IMDbPro subscribers are given top priority: however, they still need to be processed and verified.

First of all, we need to determine that the film meets our
eligibility rules. Occasionally we receive complaints from filmmakers whose film has not been accepted, and who seem to take offense at what they perceive to be doubts about the existence or importance of their work. This is not the point.

To clarify further: We are not trying to answer the question "does the film
exist?". We are trying to answer the question "does it meet our listing
criteria?" (specifically, why is it of interest to the general public --
people other than the cast/crew/friends?). Some new titles are rejected or put on hold because their submission falls below the threshold where we are normally able to examine it. This is a direct result of the limited amount of relevant data
included with the title: to help us verify your title, you need to supply more information about it via the IMDb additions system.

In order to accept a new title, we need evidence that it meets our
criteria for inclusion. This generally means a screening at a
qualifying selective/competitive film festival or a showing on
non-local TV. In this case we need you to supply more information
in order to get your title included in the database. In particular,
more details on the screening dates would be helpful -- at which
festivals did it play? If it screened in some other form of public
showcase, or you believe it meets our eligibility rules for some
other reason, please explain the circumstances.
The URL of either a film festival schedule showing the date of your
screening or an online TV schedule would help considerably in
getting the title accepted quickly.

This kind of information can prove particularly hard to find
for unreleased, low budget and/or short films. If your title falls
within this category it is unlikely that we will be able to include
it until it has been completed and screened at a qualifying festival,
sorry. If this is the case, please wait until your film has been
accepted at a festival and the official site for that festival
includes the dates of your screenings in its online schedule. You
may then supply the URL of the page as proof via the IMDb additions
system and we should be able to include your title quickly.

To summarize, if your title is/was:

Not yet finished -- send more information once it is finished

Finished, but not yet accepted to a selective festival -- send more information once it has been accepted

Screened at a selective festival -- send the screening date as a release date with the festival name in the attributes field and a link (URL) to the
festival schedule.

Distributed by an established distributor -- Send the distributor name

Eligible for some other reason -- Explain via the "Supply explanatory comments on your updates" option